The chief executive of Irancell, Iran’s second-largest mobile operator, has been dismissed from his position for not complying with a government directive to shut down internet services, as reported by the Fars news agency on Sunday.
The dismissal follows an unprecedented government-ordered communications blackout on January 8, which was implemented without prior warning amid calls for anti-government protests driven by the country’s economic crisis. Since the shutdown, internet access has been almost entirely blocked across Iran.
According to Fars, Alireza Rafiei was removed as CEO after approximately one year in the role. The agency stated, “Irancell disobeyed the orders of the decision-making institutions in implementing the announced policies regarding the restriction of internet access in crisis situations.” It further added that the decision to dismiss the CEO was based on his “failure to comply with the announced rules in crisis situations.”
While Iranian authorities have stated plans to restore internet access “gradually,” connectivity remains severely limited. On Sunday, AFP journalists in Tehran reported being able to access the global internet, though most service providers were still blocked. State television later confirmed that access to Google had been restored across all mobile networks and internet service providers.
Irancell, founded in 2005, reports having 70 million subscribers.
